If you're in the market for a Python programming job, there's good news. The language has surged in terms of demand in recent years, now rivaling JavaScript in the scope of its use in the business and scientific realms. Salaries are also very good; those who learn to code Python can expect around $70,000 at the entry level and ranging all the way up to $115,000 for very experienced developers.

Python has seen a particular surge in demand in the area of "big data," or the application of advanced analytics techniques to sift through the staggering amount of information generated and collected by modern technology to find meaningful patterns and predict outcomes. Major tech companies that rely on Python and hire significant amounts of programmers include IBM, Google, Oracle, Cisco and EMC / Dell.

If you're just considering learning to code Python, it's also an excellent language to pick up as it's open source and has a reputation for being the most efficient of all similar options. It's a good language for newcomers to learn, with a clear overall structure and much more of a streamlined process than usual in terms of turning your intentions into actual workable code. As an object-oriented language, many of the principles and techniques that you'll learn with Python can be carried over to related languages like Ruby on Rails, C++ and Java. If you're thinking of branching out to any of these languages in the future, having a Python background will greatly speed up the learning process.

If you're already seeking a job as a Python programmer, or you're on board with learning at a coding bootcamp, the following tips will help to accelerate your job search.

If you're entirely new, get familiar with the Linux / Unix command line. Regardless of what programming language you decide to pursue, real-world employers will almost always expect you to be familiar with this.

Work on open source projects. Just about anyone can contribute to these projects, and they represent a chance to gain some experience and demonstrate that experience to potential employers. You'll also learn some valuable stuff along the way.

Build a portfolio. This ties in with working on open source projects. You want to showcase what you've been doing in a public forum to demonstrate that you have experience. Github is pretty much the default choice for creating profiles used to gain employment; an account is free if you're exclusively working on open source and public projects through it, otherwise you have to pay $7 per month to access private repositories.

Maintain a website and LinkedIn account. This isn't one-size-fits-all advice, since some people feel they do just fine maintaining a GitHub account and nothing else. It's relatively simple and very expensive to set up your own basic site and LinkedIn, however, and it represents a lot of potential networking opportunities for how little up-front investment and maintenance time is involved.

Learn a little something about other languages. You don't have to be proficient in anything else when you start out, but get familiar enough with other languages to have a basic conversation about them. One of the biggest things employers look for in a developer or engineer is interest in constantly expanding their knowledge base and a broad understanding of the basics of the industry. C++ or Java are always good options, as are Ruby on Rails and JavaScript

Attend industry conferences and events when possible. Some people think this is something you're only supposed to do after you get hired, when an employer packs you off to them. But they're really helpful prior to employment, too; they're great networking opportunities, you'll stay on top of the latest industry developments and learn useful things, and it'll give you something to talk about with the managers and CEOs you'll be interviewing with.

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